I have a another post stored up inside of me as you might guess by my recent travels to NYC where I stayed across the World Trade Center Memorial, E’s neurology appointment, getting hit with a horrible stomach flu just after take-off on my way home to LA, on a plane which my reservation had been lost…oh yeah, I have words, but as you might expect, it all somehow fit into place, and so I will save my words for later this week, so they don’t just tumble out in a mumble jumble making no sense. And really, ‘mynewfavoriteday’ is not always meant to be reflected on in the past tense of days, perhaps sometimes, the past tense of hours can be even sweeter.

So today, because I finally feel better and my sickness seems to be gone, I am with my minis and KSP, in my home, I am cozy inside and out.

As I settle in my grey ‘dancey’ pants made of what may be one of the softest cottons I have ever felt, I am filled with warmth in reflecting on the past few hours allowing me to acknowledge two of the moments making today ‘mynewfavoriteday.’

It did not all start today, but rather is in some ways a culmination of thing beginning with a recent focus on Q’s speech. While he has enough words to be on track, his pronunciation is not solid on most of them and he is not putting words together. I am not overly concerned, but we did another speech evaluation last week to see if he would qualify for services.

As I at on the our white cushy carpet in our main room and watched the therapist as she asked him question after question, asking him to point at the objects she asked about, we got to descriptive terms.

Any time you take one of these skills tests, you are set up for parental failure. You walk an invisible line between cheering for your child and hoping they will be “considered” delayed enough to receive services to get them any intervention they might need. Either way, you fail.

If you cheer for them, perhaps you aren’t recognizing the red flags and transferring your concern for your special needs child to your “developmentally on-track, but perhaps just not quite ready yet child.” If you are wishing they will be “considered” delayed so they might receive services in case they need them, then you are hoping that they aren’t on-track.

Fail. Fail. Fail.

Q’s comprehension in remarkably high on so many levels, even the therapist was amazed. But then we got to big and little.

“Q, which is big?” she asked as she pointed at the car and the brush on the page.

Q stared at her with a blank look, softly bobbing his head side to side.

“Bug, which is big in this picture?” I asked, my voice slightly too high.

Fail. My heart raced as I waited for him to answer.

In the other room, I could hear E squealing with delight as her own speech therapist worked with her on receptive language skills.

Q stares at me blankly.

Fail.

Relieved he didn’t know. Sad, he didn’t know. Have I failed to teach him the basic things?

He knows, other, next to, which of the ambiguous children is he or she 3 times in a row in a poorly drawn illustration, but he doesn’t know big and little.

Friday, I received the email, confirming he was denied services for speech therapy.

Today, as we went for a walk outside, we spent some time on big and little.

“That tree is big!” I would say.

Q sizes up the Tree for Big and Little

“Theeeee!” Q would shout enthusiastically.

“Good, bug, the TREE is BIG.”

“Bi!” Q would shout back.”Big Tree. Little Flower.” I repeated, pointing at the tree and the small flowers near by.

“Theeeee!” he said again proudly.

I could feel the feeling creeping up. You can do this. For both of us. I tried the same sequence again with the same results.

Round 2 of Big and Little - Q clearly gets the point and loves the tree. Mommy is from Oregon after all:)

I could feel the rattle in E’s lungs as I carried her, the lingering effects of a 3 week cold. I decided it was time to abandon our vocabulary lesson and go home for a spontaneous breathing treatment. Worry for language was replaced by the familiar worry and preoccupation with E’s lungs.

The day progressed, and vocabulary lessons ebbed and flowed. More big, more little. Why did I care so much about big and little? Maybe because it was so basic. It seems so easy to teach. How could he know so much but not know this?

Tonight as we prepared the minis for bed, E indulged himself in some Olivia the Pig, and I gave E her bottle. In between a few “Mamaaaas” and quick hugs from Q, he delighted as Olivia broke her father’s bowling trophy and went on to learn a lesson about admitting and saying your sorry when we do something wrong.

This he seemed to get. Ok, maybe not, but he did smile and point and lot while yelling out and low, throaty grunt “Unnnngggghhhh” which means pig in Q.

As I finished with E, she settled peacefully into my shoulder. I felt her “littleness” against my shoulder. Her small heed fitting perfectly in the space between my clavicle bone and my shoulder joint. I could feel her soft breathing, she had fallen asleep. She never falls asleep at night on my shoulder. I was grateful to be big, so I could quietly walk her down the hall and gently place her in her crib. I kissed her softly on the head and came back out to get Q.

As I gathered his harem of bears, rabbit and now blanket, we was ready and waiting when I got back to the playroom. He reached up his little hand for mine and started down the hall. Only the light from the kitchen was available to guide our way. As we approached E’s door, I could see our shadows.

Me – big. Q – little.

My big hand holding his little hand in mine.

In my head I pointed and said, see Q, mama big. Q little. But, in that moment, I stopped myself. This wasn’t a vocabulary lesson, this was a moment with my Q. To remember the shadow as we walked, to see the grey outline of his arm reached up to my hand as they connected in a precious moment. As we padded toward his room, with his footy pajamas scratching against the hardwood floor.

Big, Little. I will stay big, he will get big. She will get big.

They will both learn big and little.

Soon they will tell me how big they are. How they aren’t little anymore.

To me they will always be little in some part of my heart.

So for today, I will take my littles. Enjoy them for being little. For not totally comprehending Big and Little. They will learn big and little, but they won’t stay little forever. Little makes today, ‘mynewfavoriteday.’

Is there any moment of “Big or Little” in your life that can make today ‘yournewfavoriteday?’

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About Shannon Pruitt from 'Mynewfavoriteday'

Welcome to 'mynewfavoriteday. This space is about gratitude and connecting through being open, vulnerable and real. I hope you will enjoy my take on motivation, inspiration and advocacy and will take the opportunity to tell me of your own thoughts and stories.
Why I started 'mynewfavoriteday.'
I am a childhood surviving, divorced, now happily married, IVF (and now natural pregnancy) success story, working mother of 2 amazing babies who were born 12 weeks premature. As life often seems to surprise you when you least expect it, we added another sweet baby girl M to our family in July of 2013. While our angel minis, Q and E are now 7 years old, our son, Q, has thrived while our daughter, E, has had a much more difficult journey. She is considered special needs and in September of 2012 was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder called Angelman Syndrome. And so, as she has grown, so do we as individuals and as family. How to help her, how to celebrate our differences while allowing ourselves to cope with the challenges that we never knew to expect. Thus, while much of this blog is based on our experiences (good and not-so-good), it is also based on how we must not let ourselves become victims of our circumstances but rather advocate in our own lives.
A little bit about me and who I am.
In my professional life I am a marketer in the Entertainment Industry; however, ‘mynewfavoriteday,’ was not born of entertainment or marketing but rather as a pathway to help myself and others as we try to define who we are as parents, family members, spouses, friends, colleagues and people. I believe in never judging a book by its cover. Every cover is different, and no matter what your cover looks like, you never know how someone's book is written. Like mine. From the outside, you might never know what truly makes me who I am or what I believe. This blog explores the pages on the inside of my book. My vulnerabilities, fears, happiness, and all my triggers through the lens of being grateful for all the amazing blessings I know I have received but sometimes forget in the challenges of daily life.
Thanks again for dropping by. I hope you will come back, subscribe, comment, share, and/or just hang out and be inspired or motivated to make each day for yourself or someone else 'anewfavoriteday.' By being here, you have certainly helped to make it mine.
xo,
Shannon

About Me

My name is Shannon Pruitt and I am so grateful you have joined me here at 'mynewfavoriteday.' It is my hope that as you spend time on this blog, you will take the following reminders with you that will make you want to come back, subscribe, comment, and share 'mynewfavoriteday.' 1) Be "present" and recognize moments in your life so that moments don't pass you by and you can truly appreciate all you have in each day. 2) Count your blessings. Be grateful for family, friends, pets, things, a roof over your head, food to eat, your ability to laugh, or walk, or hear, or see. Reminding yourself of these things can be the first step in making each day 'yournewfavoriteday.' 3) Know you are not alone. While our experiences may be different the emotions that we experience whenever we struggle or are challenged are the same for they are the core human emotions of sadness, fear, loneliness, and yet we are all searching for the same emotions as well of hope, love, happiness, joy and peace. At 'mynewfavoriteday' you are never alone and you never know what you might find from my posts or other's comments that just might help you find a little more of those core emotions we all look for. 4) Use your voice. Remember you are your own best advocate and by using your voice you may inspire others or be inspired, so go ahead and speak up. 5) Be grateful. For each breath, for the opportunity to live. Be motivated and inspired that you have the chance to just be.

I hope today and everyday is 'yournewfavoriteday' and I thank you for visiting and sharing your thoughts, stories and inspiring words with me as it helps me beyond words. Sincerely, Shannon